The Taming
by MelodiaRose
Summary: Darcy Blackwood is the daughter of a famous vampire hunter in London, but when her father is murdered by a coven of level E vampires she decides to seek training at Cross Academy. Where she meets one lavender eyed vampire hunter turned vampire and finds that she would rather tame the dark side to him, then kill him. Rated M for mature content and sexual situations.
1. Transfer Students and Vampire Hunters

Miss Darcy Blackwood,

We are pleased to inform you that you're transfer to Cross Academy as a student in our day class has been confirmed.

Within the next month we shall expect you to arrive to attend the next semester of school.

Attached is a list of supplies needed for your studies.

We look forward to welcoming you to our prestigious establishment.

Signed,

Kaien Cross

Headmaster at Cross Academy

The sun was bright through the bay windows of the dining room. I was sat at the table, sipping a cup of earl grey whilst I read the letter. It crumpled in my long, feminine fingers as I placed it on the table. I was elated to finally have confirmation of my transfer to Cross Academy.

"Mum, come read the letter from Cross Academy." I called to my mother, who was busy in the kitchen putting together breakfast with our butler, Jeremy. I heard the sound of fine china being cluttered together as she swept into the room, her midnight black hair bouncing about her shoulders in a well groomed, soft bob and her eyes blue like a warm summer's day.

"Did they accept?" She asked with a voice like liquid honey, picking up the letter from the table and sitting down next to me.

I nodded, taking another sip of my tea as her eyes skimmed across the page.

"That's wonderful, darling!" She gasped, enveloping me in a warm embrace and tucking my chin into her shoulder. "Oh Jeremy, did you hear. My little girl is off to Japan to study at one of the best schools in the world!" She released me, smiling brightly.

An elderly man walked out of the kitchen, wringing his hands on a tea towel and his clear eyes twinkling.

"That's great news, Miss Blackwood. I'm very glad to hear it." He exited the room, before returning with breakfast. He set the food down on the table in front of us before standing by the door awaiting any requests.

"Your father would be proud, Darcy." Mother took my hands in hers and she met my gaze with watery blue eyes.

My father would be proud to know that I was going off to Japan to study under a headmaster that was also the Vampire Hunter's Association President. He would be pleased to know that I was going to be at the academy run by the best, that being said my father was a vampire hunter and if he were still alive – he would be training me himself.

My father was killed in action ten years ago when I was seven. He was killed by a pack of level E's that teamed up to take out some of a small town on the outskirts of London. My father was a brave man, and a fierce lover of family, he would have been happy to die in an honourable way.

"I know, mum." I smiled, squeezing her hands in mine.

Two weeks later, I was at Heathrow Airport ready to board a plane to Japan. My mother was crying incessantly and from the looks of it wasn't planning on stopping any time soon. She held on to me tightly as the flight security looked over my passport and ticket.

I was handed back my papers with an uninterested look from the security guy.

"Mum, you're going to have to let go now. I've got to get on the plane." I pleaded, trying to pry the woman from my body.

"I know, darling, but it's just that after seventeen years it's hard to see your baby go." She cried, holding me at arm's length.

I sighed and kissed her tear stained cheek. "I love you, mum. I'll write to you all the time." I bent to pick up my flight bag.

"I love you, Darcy! Be a good girl!" She called to me as I walked through to board the plane that would take me to Japan in as little as six hundred and ninety minutes or eleven and a half hours if you want to depress yourself.

The flight was incredibly dull and I was glad when we finally landed in Japan, where I could sleep in a car until I got to the Academy. Everything was going according to plan, there were no hiccups with my luggage and when I eventually got to sit down in the car that was dropping me off I fell asleep.

I don't know what it is about cars, maybe it's the rocking of the vehicle on the roads or maybe it's the darkness that comes with tinted windows, but I never fail to go to sleep in one.

It was a dreamless sleep, well. Dreamless by my standards, I would always see these blood thirsty glowing red eyes in my sleep. Every single night was haunted by these eyes, but it was such a regular thing I thought nothing of it now.

"Miss Blackwood, we've arrived."

I stirred from my fitful slumber to stare up at tall wrought iron gates through the windscreen. They were accented at the top by a sun and a crescent moon and the Academy behind those gates looked very promising. It was a fashioned out of an old English castle that made me feel right at home, having lived in England for the past seventeen years.

The gates swung open, inviting the car to drive inside. The car crawled up the paved entrance. There weren't any students out and about as it was very late and the day classes were restricted by a curfew. The night class would be in succession at the moment.

My door was opened for me to climb out of the car, and I looked up at the enormity of Cross Academy. I listened to my driver open the boot of the car to collect my belongings, before closing it again with a thud.

"Ah. Miss Darcy Blackwood." I turned to face a bespectacled man with long golden blonde hair and a handsome smile. "Welcome to Cross Academy."

He came to stand in front of me and that's when I noticed his shoes, which were some manner of slipper that had plush lion heads at the toe. I looked back up at his face somewhat confused.

He appeared to be around thirty years old, but looking at his shoes I wondered if there was anything wrong with the man, or maybe he just had an affinity for children's bed shoes.

"I am Kaien Cross, the headmaster of Cross Academy." He held out his hand for me to shake, which I took in a firm handshake. But was suddenly thrown into a very uncomfortable hug and was being spun around in this strange man's embrace. "Darcy! Welcome!" He sang.

I was placed back on the ground feeling very delicate. This man is insane.

"I don't think she liked that very much, old man." Came an unfamiliar voice from beside me, I looked up to see a hard faced teenage boy in the day class uniform.

"Zero!" The headmaster whined at the handsome silver haired student before thick fat tears began rolling down his cheeks.

Feeling rather unsettled at the headmaster's strange reaction I played with my long black curls which had become rather matted from the very long journey and began combing the knots out with my fingers.

"Mister Cross, can't you see you've made her very uncomfortable?" I looked up from my black locks to see another student had joined in the frivolity. A girl now, with short choppy brown hair and russet eyes, she was rather petite but I could tell she could be fiery.

"Yuuki! Not you too!" The headmaster began flailing his arms like a child, his crying becoming louder and more disturbing. "Why don't my son and daughter love me?" He wept.

These two were his children? I would have never guessed.

"I'm not your son, old man." Growled the tall male student, Zero, I think Cross said his name was. The headmaster if possible cried louder.

"Now now." Yuuki hushed, patting her father on the back reassuringly. This was most definitely the most dysfunctional family I'd ever seen. Headmaster Cross settled down before beaming happily at the petite girl.

"Yuuki, Zero, this is our new transfer student from London - Miss Darcy Blackwood." The headmaster, having finally calmed down introduced us. I eyed him warily, just in case he tried to hug me again or something.

"A pleasure to meet you both," I sighed feeling rather stiff and awkward from the whole situation.

"And you too, Darcy!" replied the bubbly brunette with a bright smile. Zero just nodded with a grunt, like he could barely be bothered to acknowledge my presence. What an arse.

"Don't take Zero too seriously; he's not really nice to anyone." The headmaster reassured me with a waving hand gesture like he was trying to dismiss my immediate dislike of his son/student.

"That's good to know." I answered, looking up at the tall, strong and silent Zero, that's when I caught a glimpse of a tattoo on his neck, behind his collar. My eyes widened momentarily, it looked to be a hunter's tattoo.

"Well, Yuuki, if you've finished your patrol perhaps you could show Miss Blackwood to her dorm." Suggested Cross with a sincere smile.

"Of course."

Yuuki bowed respectfully, before turning to me with another warm smile.

"Shall we get going, I bet you're exhausted."

"That would be great," at least I know that it's not Japanese people that are insane, just the headmaster. She took off, taking one of my trunks with her and I followed hauling the second, looking back briefly to catch Zero and Headmaster Cross walking off talking in hushed tones. Yuuki led me around the buildings, advising me on which way was the quickest to the main building from the day class dormitories.

After winding around the dorms, she stopped in front of a door and pulled out a set of keys. Inserting the key into the lock and turning it, Yuuki pushed open the door.

"This is one of the only free rooms. You don't have anyone to share the room with which is nice." She walked in, setting down the suitcase by the wardrobe and I did the same with mine, before sitting on the edge of the bed.

"Thanks for showing me to my room, Yuuki." I said, covering my mouth as I yawned.

"You're welcome, I could come meet you in the morning to take you to class, if you'd like?"

This girl is too nice, it puts me to shame. "That would be really helpful, thank you."

"No problem, I'll be going then. Sleep well." Yuuki smiled warmly, placing a key to the door on my suitcase before departing.

"Goodnight." I replied as the door closed. I lay back on the bed, staring at the ceiling feeling a sudden pang of something in my chest. It's not a pleasant feeling, not painful more uncomfortable than anything. I suppose it's because this is the first time I've been away from my family before, I'm used to having someone there to talk to always.

This will take some getting used to, but from the hype of this school. It will all be worth it.

After another haunting crimson eyed dream, I awoke still feeling a bit jet lagged and I had a painful crick in my back from the unfamiliar bed. I arched my spine hoping to crack it back into position. I sighed with relief when I heard a soft crack.

Sitting up in the bed I looked about the now well-lit bedroom. It was bland and boring, and I wondered if I could decorate it, being that I had no one to share the room with.

I slid off the bed and stood to look out the window. The Academy was beautiful, bright and airy with a feeling of old money and history in the buildings. I could see the gardens just past the path to the main building of the school. They were well kept with a large fountain and flowers blooming along with topiary and small water features.

If I looked in the other direction I could make out the Moon Dorm, which housed the night class students, looking at it I felt a familiar chill go up my spine - a chill that I hadn't felt in years and one that I recognised immediately.

I jumped when I heard a soft rapping at my door.

"Darcy, are you awake?" called Yuuki through the wood of my dormitory door.

"Yes, Yuuki." I gasped, my hand rubbing at the back of my neck, coaxing the hairs that were standing on end to smooth down. I sighed, "Do you know where the showers are?"

I moved to unlock the door, opening it wide to see fresh faced Yuuki, her bush baby eyes wide and trusting.

"I'll show you to them. You'll have to be quick though, classes start in an hour." She smiled, waiting for me to grab a towel and my uniform.

Yuuki showed me to the showers, which were just down the hall from my bedroom. I scrubbed and lathered and combed out my mess of black hair. I felt thoroughly refreshed and wide awake after the shower.

After towel drying off, and dressing for the first time in my Cross Academy uniform, I was ready for my first day of classes.

Yuuki led the way to the main building, we passed the dorm gates. Students of the day class started piling out of the Sun Dorm and were making their way to classes. I was stared at by a few bolder male students which I effectively glared off. I was not here to fraternize with boys. I was here to learn and possibly study under one of the best Vampire Hunters in Japan.

"Yuuki, are the boys in class always so creepy?" I asked after we'd taken our seats in class and I was introduced to her friend Sayori who was nice enough. I motioned towards the male students who were sat at the back and seemed to be dribbling all over themselves like babies.

"Eh?" She turned to look at said boys and her face turned grim. "I've not seen the boys act like that before, it's normally the girls that act like that over the night class." She mumbled to herself.

"Don't worry about them, Darcy. Boys are like dogs, they need training." Sayori joked quietly, before turning back to her studies. I smiled; snorting to hold back a laugh and taking one last look at the boys behind me, spotting Zero with his eyes narrowed in interest. His tattoo bringing back memories of my father that I'd long forgotten. So I wasn't wrong, that is a vampire hunter tattoo. But, that is a seal to-

I watched him more suspiciously, his almond shaped lilac eyes locking with my golden hazel and in that moment, I think we both realised that I knew what he was. Of course I knew. How I had not sensed it before.

Zero Kiryu was a vampire, the sad thing was I was almost certain he was bitten by another vampire and so he would slowly degenerate to a level E.

"Miss Blackwood, would you be able to recite the last paragraph of chapter thirteen?" I turned back to my teacher with a start.

"Yes, of course." I replied, calmly turning the pages until I reached said section.

After class had finished Yuuki and Sayori invited me to come out to a café off school premises for dinner. But, as much as I'd enjoy going to eat out, I was a curious teen. I wanted to explore the Academy grounds, or at least that was my excuse.

"Thanks, but I'd like to have an in depth exploration of the Academy – perhaps another time?" I smiled politely before bowing my head and wishing them a nice evening. I expect that I'll see Yuuki later anyway, if she is patrolling the grounds.

The two girls left, leaving me to my own devices. I walked back to my dorm room, and began rummaging through my suitcase until I pulled out my bow and my sling full of arrows. It was varnished maple and caught the light beautifully. I had named it Windrunner, and my father had passed it down to me. I loved the size of her, long to the point where it was just over half the length of me.

Along the bow was an engraving in Latin, it read '_Ut Maneat Mortui Mortuos'_ which translated to _'May the Dead Stay Dead'_. It was a Vampire Hunter's weapon and despite my lack of training I was rather deadly with it, though mother had always told me that she didn't want me to follow the same path as father and would confiscate Windrunner often.

I took a deep cleansing breath, pulling back the bowstring and focusing on the sound of the string as it became taut and grazing on the arrow as I released it. I had taken archery from a young age, which is why I suppose, I was so handy with the bow and arrow.

I twisted, thrusting the arrows tip out aggressively, before crossing my legs to turn again and swiftly releasing the bow in an attack, it lodged deep into the fabric of my suitcase. I felt the heavy weight of Windrunner in my right hand and balancing it on my palm, testing the weight and counter balance.

Windrunner had not seen the light of day for quite some time. I smiled brightly; it was almost like she was an extension of my arm. Hanging the bow across my back again, I prepared to head out.

I had to be able to sense his presence, to be able to tell where he was now and to be able to sneak up on him without him noticing me. This would be a true test of my very rusty skills.

I left the room, locking the door behind me.

"What's that?" I spun around on my heel, swiftly pulling Windrunner from my back and loading it to point it menacingly at the owner of the voice. Which happened to be the person I was about to set out hunting for.

His eyes darkened and he stood completely motionless as my arrow pressed at his chest. I watched him warily his vampire hunter gun pointed at me. It was a standoff, how interesting.

I smiled mischievously and began to square off.

"You think I don't know what you are, Zero?" His eyes widened a fraction before he covered his emotions flawlessly.

"What I am?" He feigned innocence, yet still dared to point his gun at me.

"Drop it, Zero. Your bloody rose won't work on me, I'm no vampire." My eyes sparkled as he realised I had seen through his obvious flaw. Slowly he lowered his weapon, keeping his parma violet eyes locked with mine.

"Who are you?" He seemed genuinely curious, still flicking his eyes between Windrunner and my face.

"I am Darcy Blackwood, daughter of James Blackwood - a famous Vampire Hunter in London, England and I have been trained to show no mercy to level E Vampires," Especially after my father was murdered by a coven of them.

"A Vampire Hunter - you should recognise my name then." This confused me, I understood that his tattoo was a vampire hunter seal to prevent the vampire nature in him from taking over, but the name Zero Kiryu wasn't one that I had ever heard of.

"Don't flatter yourself." I smirked, no I hadn't heard of him.

"I come from a family of well-established Vampire Hunters." He said keeping his calm, disinterested tone of voice.

"That doesn't mean that you aren't a vampire." I shot back.

"No, I suppose it doesn't." He replied, and after a pause he pushed the arrow out of his way and walked off leaving me with my bow strung and my mouth wide open like a fish out of water. He had the audacity to just walk away from me.

"Where do you think you're going?!" I shouted after him, shoulders tense with irritation loosening the tension of my fingers across the strings.

Zero didn't reply, he just nonchalantly waved as if to say 'I can't be bothered to talk to you'.

It was incredibly frustrating.


	2. Discipline and Blood Lust

I walked away from her, full pink lips set into a gaping hole and her honeycomb eyes wide in disbelief. Darcy Blackwood knew I was a vampire, she easily figured it out when Yuuki hasn't even the slightest idea of what I am and I couldn't stand the idea of being around a girl who hated me just as much as I hated myself for what I had become.

To have grown up in a home who focus on a career in the assassination of level E vampires and to grow up to learn all their faults and cons but then gradually become one, is something I cannot bear. I wear this tattoo to seal away the beast that came with the bite of Shizuka Hio, the pureblood vampire that murdered my mother, father and twin brother.

Yet it seems that it just isn't enough anymore. My body rejects the blood substitute tablets which I have forced down my throat to quench this blood lust that plagues me day and night. I can barely cope around Yuuki anymore without the thirst becoming too great and I am forced to leave.

I know that eventually, I will lose my humanity completely and fall to level E status. But to lose my humanity would be the most soul crushing defeat of all.

I wonder if the old man knew who Darcy Blackwood was. I wonder if he knew that she was aware of vampires, not only that but came from a family of hunters.

Darcy Blackwood was enigma.

She was beautiful, even I could not deny that with her glossy ink black hair that fell down her back in waves and her porcelain skin. Her face was angelically soft and feminine yet her golden feline eyes were guarded and gave no hint of her away. She was a classic English rose, elegant and feminine with a slim curvaceous body that stood taller than Yuuki's petite stature.

And in her uniform she looked downright sinful.

I drifted out of the sun dorm, having ignored my duties as a guardian for so long, I suppose I'd better go help Yuuki restrain those annoying Day Class girls. I walked along the pathways over to the Moon Dorm gates where obsessive teenage girls could often be found gathered hoping to catch a glimpse of the Night Class.

"Get back behind the line!" I could hear Yuuki struggling now, and could barely see her tiny form behind all the raucous fans of the aristocratic vampires of the night class. As I drew closer, I let myself get into my crowd control voice which was particularly cold and terrifying.

"Listen up you brats! Get behind the line before I force you back to your dorms! It's past day class curfew!" I shouted menacingly, which immediately settled the students some and they became more orderly and stood on and behind the yellow lines that were drawn to have some organisation to the disorder that was the Night Classes fan girls.

"Zero! Where have you been?" Yuuki came to stand by my side, looking flushed with a determined hardness in her youthful face.

I didn't bother to answer as the gates to the Moon Dorm swung open revealing the vampires that made up the night class. The girls went mad again, screaming and crying out for their favourite monster.

It disgusted me to think that if these girls knew that the students they admired where beasts disguised as handsome humans, they would still fantasise and adore them.

Yuuki began in earnest to keep the students behind the line that inevitably they would try to cross. "Stay behind the line!"

And here they came, strutting like models with that haughty, disinterested look on their faces. Noses pointing snootily skyward, except for Aidou Hanabusa who vainly signed the day classes' notebooks and pretended to shoot them with his fingers set in the shape of a gun, which made all the girls swoon.

I rolled my eyes, how ridiculous could one person be.

"Yuuki. Thank you for all your hard work." Kaname Kuran with his deep velvet tones made Yuuki blush red and turn to bow respectfully to him.

"It's no problem, Lord Kaname." She gushed. God, it made me feel sick the way she admired him - the devil in an angel's body with his fake smiles and smooth talk. I glared at him, hating the man for all he was and all he is. He locked his russet eyes with mine. I could feel the cold hate beneath them, his eyes told me that he tolerated my association with Yuuki because she wanted it. His glare told me he could just as easily end me.

Then Kaname continued to walk to lesson, the students following him like sheep to slaughter.

I had to speak to the headmaster. I had to understand just what was going on at this school.

Feeling uneasy with my discovery of the vampires that attended the night class and the level D that was part of the _disciplinary committee, _I refused to put Windrunner back in my dorm room. I had her attached to my back along with my case full of crystal tipped arrows.

I stormed out of the Sun Dorm, painfully biting my lip in agitation. I felt terribly exposed in the uniform, the skirt was short and the wind was rather high so I would have to hold it down to protect my modesty as I walked around to where Yuuki told me the Headmasters residence was - in a building to the side of the Sun Dormitories.

I knocked on the door at the front. I could feel myself frowning, and with a sigh forced myself to relax. My lip throbbed as the blood once again returned to it. I could hear movement behind the door when Headmaster Cross opened the door and after catching my rather cold expression, he shot me a sheepish grin.

"Darcy, is anything the matter?" He asked, playing innocent with me. I bit back an angry retort.

"Please let me in, I have much to discuss with you, Headmaster."

The young headmaster held open the door for me to pass through, a curious glint to his hazel eyes. He showed me to his office which was just up the stairs. The room was made up of just the man's badly repaired desk which looked to have been split right down the middle and a few chairs beside it. It overlooked a lake which was just outside the grounds.

The sandy haired Headmaster sat down at his chair behind his desk, his hands clasped under his chin.

"Now," he began, "What would you like to discuss?"

I took a seat opposite him, wanting to get straight to the point.

"Why was I not informed that vampires attend the night classes at Cross Academy?"

" E-excuse me? V-vampires?" He stuttered, laughing nervously. "My dear girl, you must have read too much science fiction in class today."

"Don't feign ignorance with me, Mister Cross. I know who you are and you should very well know who I am." At this the headmaster relaxed, his face turning straight as though his whole crazy father routine was just that, a routine that he settled into to cover his back.

"Very well," He said, "I started Cross Academy to ease humans and vampires into peacefully co-existing, along with Kaname Kuran, the Night Class President who shares my views, and keeps the night class students in line." His glasses caught the light making it impossible for me to see what he hid behind them.

"You mean to tell me that this school is all some experiment to see if humans and vampires can live together without the latter devouring the former?" I bit out, my fists clenched. "When will the experiment end? When a night class student steps out of line and bites someone or worse, when someone dies?"

Kaien Cross adjusted his glasses to look at me with a hard stare.

"Just who are you, Miss Blackwood?"

"I come from a long line of vampire hunters. I came to this academy knowing who you were and believing that I would have some formal training in vampire hunting." I said crossing my arms, and looking out on the darkening grounds through the tall windows that decorated the walls.

"Then you should know that I am retired." I jumped, hands pressing on the desk to look at this man. Retired? Then I came to Japan to study under some fang banging retired crazy man.

"You've got to be kidding me." I sighed, slipping back onto my chair with a defeated look on my face.

"I'm sorry to tell you that your transfer to Cross Academy was a waste, if that's what you came here for."

So after all this, I'm not going to get any closer to being trained to be a vampire hunter. I pressed my eyes shut tight, hoping that this was all just some sordid nightmare and that I'd wake up in London, safe in my bed. But no. I opened my eyes, still in the same room talking over a badly repaired desk to a retired vampire hunter that wasn't going to train me any time soon. I was still here.

"Very well," I muttered, wanting more than anything to leave.

"You may still study here. There are opportunities for someone with your skills at Cross Academy." I looked back up at the headmaster, feeling hopeful.

"And what opportunities might there be?"

The next day I added something else to my uniform. An armband that pictured a red rose design on the front. It was uniform for the disciplinary committee or the guardians of Cross Academy.

I sighed. What on earth was I getting myself into? I was to meet Yuuki and Zero at the Chairman's Office where they would be informed about my joining their committee. I can only imagine how pissed off Zero will be.

I made my way over to the headmaster's residence, Windrunner strapped to my conspicuously. I wondered how I would get away with such a weapon. At least Yuuki and Zero's vampire hunter weapons were easily hidden.

I made my way up the stairs, hearing quiet discussion and the frivolous voice of the headmaster. It seemed he was back to his weird self again. I stood by the door, feeling my pulse quicken as I sensed Zero. I wasn't wrong; he was a vampire without a doubt.

I knocked on the large double doors.

"Come in," came the bi-polar tone of Kaien Cross. I pushed open the doors, seeing both guardians turning back to look at me.

"Ah, Darcy, you're wearing your prefect's arm band. Good." The headmaster nodded, before turning back to his adoptive children. "Darcy shall be putting her skills to good use in the Disciplinary Committee, treat her well." He looked pointedly at Zero before he jumped up to pull all of his prefects into an embrace, one that all of us avoided like the plague.

I moved out of his opened arms. Zero ducked away to stand by the door looking rather irritated and Yuuki smiled sheepishly at her adoptive father who was now blubbering like a child again.

"Why don't my children love me?" He cried with his voice wavering.

I felt so awkward when the headmaster was like this, snivelling like a child who'd dropped his ice cream.

"So, Darcy?" I turned to Yuuki, who once again had a bright smile on her pretty face. "You'll be helping us with patrols and everything?"

"I'll be doing exactly what duties a prefect is expected to do, Yuuki. So yes, I'll be helping with the patrols along with other things." I beamed back at her, her constant smile contagious. Zero appeared uninterested, and I wondered if he cared that I knew he was a vampire. Did Yuuki know?

I eyed him suspiciously.

"You should all get going, or you'll be late for class!" The headmaster began pushing us out of the room.

"All right, old man! We're going!" Growled Zero with his eyes wild.

We all left for class, Yuuki chattering quietly to Zero and I. I wasn't really listening, which was rude of me but I was too focused on Zero, who kept rubbing at his neck where his seal was. My eyes narrowed, and he caught my gaze.

"Hey, what's up with you two?" Yuuki had her hands on her hips like she was scolding us and I smiled at her nearly laughing.

"Yuuki, you really are so cute," I patted her head. This girl thought she could tell me off, yet she honestly knew nothing. Her best friend was a vampire, and she was completely oblivious.

"Darcy!" She protested, a blush forming on her cheeks.

I smiled wider, before letting her be and walking off.

"Talk to you later, Yuuki, Zero."

I couldn't be bothered with class now I knew that I wouldn't be training at all in what I actually came for. So I walked off to the gardens on the outskirts of the main building, taking in the scents of blooming flowers and cut grass.

I sat underneath a tree enjoying the sun on my face and the sound of the wind in the branches and leaves. I didn't know how long I'd been lying there, but it was pleasant and I was so relaxed for once.

"What are you playing at, Toy Hunter." I peeked out of my eye to spot Zero who had this uninterested demeanour about him as he leaned against the tree trunk.

"What are you talking about now, Vampire?" I could practically hear his fists clench and his jaw tighten.

"Don't call me that." He growled through gritted teeth.

"Why? Shouldn't I be allowed to call you ask you are?" I replied with mirth, before bringing my hand up to my mouth and using a sharp incisor biting down on my wrist. I knew what I was doing was reckless, but I was enjoying toying with him. The blood began seeping from the puncture wound, crimson like the eyes that haunted my dreams.

Zero gasped out, his fangs lengthening and tattoo turning red in an attempt to hold him back.

I stood up holding out my wrist to him as the blood ran down my arm, staining my white sleeve.

"You are a vampire and it is in your nature to lust after blood." His glowing red eyes narrowed at me and his hand clutched at his throat.

"You idiot," he snarled. I almost pitied Zero, coming from a family of vampire hunters only to become the thing you hunted.

I drew dangerously close, "Go ahead," I whispered.

"What are you, a masochist?" Zero snapped licking his lips as the blood began to drip onto the grass.

"No. Just someone, who wants to quench your obvious thirst - you wouldn't want to hurt Yuuki." At that the vampire became more solemn, his scarlet eyes softened.

"Zero," I nudged my arm forward, watching as he became far too tempted by the thought of real blood. His long masculine fingers gripped my outstretched arm, as he hungrily licked up the trail of blood to the wound. His fangs scraped across the milky underside before he inhaled the intoxicating smell of my blood.

"Do it." I urged before he plunged his fangs into my wrist, lapping and sucking at the wound he had made. It was somehow incredibly erotic and the pain just added to the heat of the moment. I could hear the blood pounding in my ears as he groaned.

Zero's eyes flung open, and he pulled away sharply. Catching himself before he fell too deep into himself and the beast inside took over. His eyes still as red as the blood that was seeping from the bite mark he left.

"That wasn't so bad, now was it?" I gasped, feeling entirely too hot from the penetration of his fangs.

I ripped a piece of fabric from my shirt and bound the wound to stop it from bleeding out.

Zero was breathing deeply, his eyes fading to their original dusky purple as he regained some control over himself.

"You don't have to worry, Zero." He looked at me curiously as I moved to lean on the tree trunk he had taken refuge on.

"What are you talking about?" He mumbled, licking the last of my blood from his lips.

"Whenever you need it, just come and find me." I replied, before pushing away from the tree and hurrying back to my dorm to clean up. I couldn't let anyone see me covered in blood.


	3. Frostbite

Despite the fact that I had told Zero he was welcome to come to me in his time of need, the vampire was too stubborn to ask me for blood, in fact he was so stubborn he wouldn't even talk to me after I'd offered my blood to him.

I knew I shouldn't feel rejected but somehow, I did. Throughout our duties as guardians, Zero wouldn't even look at me. I was beginning to resent my actions. I caught him looking at Yuuki's neck with that predatory stare and I knew he was suffering, yet he still wouldn't take my blood.

At this rate, Yuuki was going to discover his true identity.

We had split up our patrol this evening, Yuuki was watching the main building, I was watching the grounds and yet again, Zero was nowhere to be found.

"Hey, have you got any good shots yet?"

I spun in the direction of the voices, which were coming from the forest on the outskirts of the main building. I sighed. I had learnt that the day class students took their admiration for the night class to extremes at times, so I was not surprised that some girls had snuck out of their dorm to take pictures of the night class.

I flit through the trees soundlessly. Windrunner strapped to my back in case of a night class student turning rabid, they must be testy from all the blood substitute tablets. Eventually, I came into a clearing where two girls sat snapping photographs of the night class through the windows of their classroom.

"You two shouldn't be out here, get back to your dorms." I called, towering over the crouching teens. They looked up at me questioningly.

"Who's that?" One mumbled. I felt my eye twitch.

"It doesn't matter who I am. Just get back to your dorm." I growled, growing increasingly impatient and that something terrible was about to happen if they didn't leave.

I heard rustling from above, and turned to see Yuuki jump down from the trees.

"What are they doing here?" She asked, straightening from her jump.

"Just heading back to bed, weren't you?" I glared at them, watching them shrink uncomfortably, before they shot up eyes wide and excited.

"Idol-senpai!" They cried joyously. I stiffened before swinging Windrunner from my back and arming myself against the blonde vampire aristocrat, Aidou Hanabusa.

"I knew I smelt something delicious," He sang in velvety smooth tones, his fangs glinting in the moonlight that was filtering through the blanket of trees. I watched in horror as he took Yuuki's hand in his and brought it to his mouth to lick at her grazed hands.

"Get off of her." I glowered, aiming my crystal tipped arrow directly at his chest.

"Oh, little kitten has claws." He mocked, sizing me up with his eyes. Yuuki looked panicked as his once icy blue eyes turned as red as the blood seeping through her wounds. "You know, Akatsuki, I love it when a woman has fight."

My gaze flitted over to another vampire that was lazily leaning against a tree with his arms folded. "I wouldn't get her too fired up, Hanabusa, she's armed." His words were drawling and bored, like he wasn't at all threatened by the fact that I could easily kill both of them.

"She's nothing to worry about." Replied Aidou, crimson eyes glinting mischievously as his fangs dipped to Yuuki's palm.

"Don't underestimate me." I breathed as I let my arrow fly and it lodged itself just above Kain's head deep into the tree he had been leaning on with a flash of blue light.

"Oi! Watch it!" He called in disbelief. I quickly reloaded Windrunner with another crystal tipped arrow.

"As I said, Night Class, do not underestimate me."

Aidou hesitated, releasing Yuuki's wrist and turning to glare hotly at me.

"You know, I don't think I like this new one." The blonde vampire said, mainly to Akatsuki Kain and with a flourish of his fingers ice began forming across the ground paving its way towards me. I sprang away, but was caught in the frozen grasp as I leapt and was bound to the ground by my ankle.

I grit my teeth as my ankle twisted painfully and I looked up through narrowed eyes into the fanged student, who was smiling proudly. He began to prowl towards me, his ice crawling up my limbs to prevent me from moving. My fingers were frozen onto the grip of my bow. Suddenly completely vulnerable, I pinched my eyes shut expecting at any moment to feel his fangs pierce my neck.

"Darcy!" Shouted Yuuki, her high pitched shriek came before chaos erupted and the metal clink of chains along with gunfire erupted in the silence of the night. My eyes shot open, to see Zero, bloody rose in his large hand, and a blue hunter's seal glowing against the trunk of a tree behind Aidou who was cowering with wide eyes.

"You should watch where you point that, you could hurt someone." He barked at Zero, who continued to point his gun at the vampire.

"Go back to class, before I shoot to kill, Aidou." He glowered, finger curling around the trigger suggestively.

"That's enough, Zero Kiryu." Everyone turned to the baritone voice of Kaname Kuran, whose chocolate brown locks fell into his copper eyes. He was flanked by the rest of the night class who had apparently smelt Yuuki's blood in the air as their eyes glowed scarlet in the dark.

Zero lowered his weapon, lilac eyes hard as he watched Kuran bind Yuuki's bloody hands with a handkerchief.

"Aidou, apologise for your actions."

Kaname had this authority to his voice that was so subtle yet undeniable that I could tell he had even more power in this school than Headmaster Cross.

Aidou grit his teeth and fisted his hands as the ice that had me caged shattered. I stood, ignoring the pain in my ankle to glare at the gathered vampires. The aristocrat growled an apology before stalking off to stand by his class president. Kaname raised his hand before sharply slapping Aidou, his face turning with the force of the blow.

"Lord Kaname…" He mumbled.

The Night Class then departed, leaving Yuuki, Zero and I to try clean up the damage they had created. Starting with the students that had now discovered the Night Class were vampires.

I managed to walk on my ankle, which had swollen from what I assumed was a mild sprain. I would recover quickly enough.

"Darcy, did Aidou hurt you at all?" Asked Yuuki, on the way back to my dorm, having brought the two Day Class girls to the Headmaster to erase their memory and dropping them back to their rooms.

"No, I'm fine. I'm glad he didn't bite you, Yuuki." I smiled, glancing over at Zero who was absently rubbing his tattoo. "Well, you should be going Yuuki, Zero and I will be fine getting to our rooms."

Yuuki looked up at me with curious doe eyes. "Are you sure?"

"Of course, sleep well." I smiled brightly, before she wished us a good night and ran off to the chairman's residence.

Zero turned to walk off but I grabbed hold of his sleeve.

"How long are you going to make yourself suffer, Zero?" I asked, concern lingering in my words. He didn't reply.

"You're craving it." I released the sleeve of his blazer to push aside the long inky locks that trailed down my shoulders, showing him the smooth, creamy skin of my neck.

"You don't know what you're asking me to do, Darcy." Zero's eyes flashed red as he inhaled a shaky breath. We were just outside my room, and I swiftly pulled out my key, pushing open the door before pulling Zero inside behind me. The room was dark with only the moon illuminating the furniture in a silvery pearlescent glow. It made Zero look almost ethereal and so wonderfully breath -taking.

"Of course I know what I'm doing. Zero, I'd rather you are drinking my blood than suffering every day." I smiled sadly, before moving to close the door and lock it.

I began untying the tie and unbuttoning the collar of my now crumpled white shirt. Zero stood watching me with a strangely heated look in his eyes. I threw the red ribbon to the floor, my blazer following after, leaving me in just my shirt and skirt with my long hair curled across one shoulder to give Zero access to my bare neck.

I stood in front of him, looking up into his glowing red eyes that sent heat flooding to my core. I wondered if he could sense that. I felt disgusted with the fact that I enjoyed him drinking from me; one of the monsters I had grown to hate was going to touch me intimately.

"Darcy," Zero groaned, his long fingers trailed up my arms to grip my shoulders leaving a tingling sensation in their wake. Zero towered over me. I could feel his breath hot and heavy on my skin as he dipped down. Lilac strands of hair licked across the sensitive expanse of skin that I had exposed to him. I watched as his fangs lengthened to graze the artery that pulsed, anticipating the press of his teeth as he bit down into my neck, but he was making me wait.

Zero's hands smoothly wandered across my skin, feather light touches that set me ablaze and made me gasp as they began travelling up my sock clad legs towards my bare shapely thighs so tantalizingly slow that he had me panting.

"Zero!" I begged as he finally touched the naked skin past my over the socks, still just his fingertips that touched my heated skin as he pushed up my skirt and then with one sharp movement bit down onto my neck with a snarl. His other hand tangled into my hair as he sucked and lapped at my flesh. Blood trailing down my neck and into the valley of my breasts while Zero moaned against me.

The hand that was under my skirt had now began pulling at the band of my underwear. Zero was making me lose all sense of right and wrong as his fingers dipped teasingly close to my core still licking at my crimson stained neck.

Zero slid his fangs from me, and it felt evocative of something much more intimate. My breathing was heavy as I watched him lick the blood from his lips sensually. His hands moving back up my body to rest on my shoulders as he regained some semblance of his human self, eyes still a shocking shade of red that mirrored the blood smeared across his chin and down my chest.

His eyes followed the trails of blood that dipped down past my shirt. He looked back up into my face and it took a second before I began unbuttoning my shirt further to reveal my blush pink satin and lace bra that had now been coated in my own blood.

Zero growled like a predator that had found his prey before bowing back down to follow the rivers of blood down my neck into the feminine curve of my breast. I moaned loudly as his hands moved to cup me over the lingerie.

He teasingly rubbed at my nipples through the fabric and had me gasping musically. Zero was playing me like an instrument of desire, he knew exactly where and how to touch to drive me insane with want and it was startling.

"Zero," I gasped and his tongue traced the lace that provocatively showcased the top of my ample breasts. The blood had been cleaned from my skin with his mouth and I was left with the heat of his touch. Zero looked up at me as he continued lapping down the dip in between my breasts and I tensed as I noticed that his eyes were no longer red but a shade of purple that was dark and passionate.

Zero was completely aware of what he was doing. He noticed the sudden tension in my once pliable body and pulled away, the absence of his touch left me bereft.

"I'm sorry, Darcy." He muttered, standing at his full stature to tower over me his eyes hidden by silver hair that was highlighted by the moon. The contours of his angular face and straight nose contrasted in the light.

"Why are you apologising?" I smiled, somehow feeling comfortable in my blood encrusted bra with my shirt hanging off my shoulders. I was a hot mess.

"I went too far." He replied, his tone harsh and punishing.

"_We_ went too far, Zero. I don't think you heard me complain." I added, feeling ashamed for my lack of self-discipline.

"Maybe so, but I should have had more control." I sighed, giving Zero a once over before deciding he needed to clean himself up if he was going to head back to his room. I turned away to pull a packet of wet wipes from my drawer. I walked up to Zero, feeling him tense as I began wiping away the dried blood from his face.

"I'm sorry, Zero, for not stopping you." I mumbled as I erased the last of my blood and stepping back to admire my handy work. He watched me curiously, before turning away as if he'd caught me in a compromising position.

"So you're uncomfortable with me being in my underwear now? I didn't think you'd be the type to get nervous, Zero." I teased, with a grin. I wondered how far I could take this.

I turned away from him with a smirk plastered firmly on my face as I began to undress. First slipping my shirt from my arms and letting it fall to the floor with a soft rustle, then I stepped out of my skirt. Now left in my long socks, dusky pink satin panties and matching bra with blood stains across the centre of the band which was accented with a bow.

"Zero," I sang huskily and he turned to me half expecting me to be in my bed clothes, but I watched his eyes widen as he took in my scantily clad form. "Would you help me get ready for bed?"

The silence dragged, until he came to stand next to me apparently not able to stand my state of undress any longer as he rummaged through my drawers to find some pyjamas, long pale fingers delving into silk, lace and satin. I didn't have many items in that drawer that were conservative in the least.

Zero paused to hold up a pair of satin shorts with a matching camisole, along with some clean underwear.

"Oh Zero, you want me to wear this?" I teased, and nearly jumped triumphantly when I saw him blush, which was totally out of character for this normally calm and collected vampire hunter. "Would you like to watch?" I added, mischievously.

Zero's shoulders squared before he finally gave up, and gracefully stepped around me and to the door in three long strides. He scooped up my key from the bed and unlocked it, groaning a 'Good night' before closing the door behind him.

Leaving me half naked and giggling like a school girl. Oh wait, I was a school girl.


End file.
